As you may or may not remember, I am wearing my mother's wedding dress. It is finally finished undergoing the major renovations and is beautiful! My sister-in-law even started crying when she saw it. I decided to book an extra session with my photographer, In Retrospect Photography, with just me to do some bridal portraits BEFORE the wedding day. This way you get to wear your dress an extra day and get to do a trial run with your hair and make-up!!

The biggest reason I decided to do this bridal portrait session is to be able to display a picture of my mom in her dress and me in her dress at the reception. I plan on putting them on the cake table. That way everyone can see the major changes we made, but how special the dress still remains. This would be a really neat idea even if you aren't wearing a family wedding gown.

Here are some Bridal Portrait tips:

Schedule appointments for your hair and makeup. Do a similar look that you want for your wedding day. That way you can see if you like the look in pictures before the big day when there will be no "do-overs".
Pick a beautiful location and one you wouldn't have time to go to on your wedding day. We went to Shaker Village here in Kentucky. All the Spring trees and plants were in bloom...gorgeous!!
Take a blanket or old sheet with you to put under your dress to keep it clean if you are going to be outside. You can hide it in the pictures with the dress.
Pack a couple bottles of water with you and maybe a little snack if you think you will be gone for a while.
If you have your make-up done ask if you can take the powder with you and return it the next day. That way you can touch up if needed.
Take your mom or maid of honor with you - it is a special time of wearing your dress for the first time! Have them enjoy it with you:)

Obviously I cannot post my pictures yet, but enjoy this time and enjoy your pictures!!

Happy Planning!